She Paints Me Blue
by xblondecutieo23
Summary: Brucas. Brooke and Lucas have been the best of friends for years, but what happen's when Brooke has to move in with him, and Lucas falls in love with her? BL.
1. Dare You To Move

**She Paints Me Blue**

**Author's Note: **Okay, so this is a short little fic that I decided to write after watching Friends. It has somewhat of a similar plotline, but that is about all the Friends connection that it has. It wont be very long, just short Brucas fic that I really wanted to write. The title comes from Something Corporate. Here is the first chapter, and the start to this fic. Enjoy!

Thank you dear, Ellie, for always doing an amazing job with beta-ing and for taking on this fic!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing of One Tree Hill, or, unfortunately, Brucas.

**Chapter One: Dare You To Move**

"Haley!" Brooke screamed as she shoved another oversized pile out into the middle of her room. "Just one more!"

Haley stomped in, not bothering to hide her annoyance. "Brooke, why do you have so many shoes?" She asked as she hunched over and pulled out of a pair of slight-heeled, black, dress shoes. "Have you ever even worn these?"

Brooke rolled her eyes as she jumped up and snatched the pair of shoes out of Haley's hand. "Haley James, you do not understand just how demanding the fashion industry is. Shoes are crucial for survival! Now get me another box. This will be the last one, I promise."

Haley let out a sigh, which came out more as a huff, and walked back into the living room of the apartment the girls shared. Both girls knew they were hiding the fact that Brooke was moving out, and they would never be roommates again.

"Nate said that him and Luke would be here in a couple of minutes to get the last of the boxes. Are you sure this is all?" She asked while carrying another box into the bedroom. She stepped over Brooke's shoes and took a look into her closet.

"How did you fit all this _stuff _in here?" She asked disbelievingly, also wondering how she let Brooke have the bigger closet.

Brooke simply shrugged as she began piling the shoes against her chest and tossing them into the large brown box.

"Oh my god," Haley said as she sat down and picked up a black sandal that was without a heel. "You still have this?"

Brooke looked up towards Haley and the shoe, letting out a small chuckle as they both thought about the memory. "Every girl has to have the shoe they broke when her and her best friend were wasted and wandering around New York City."

Haley smiled as she looked towards the shoe admiringly. She could not imagine how much she was going to miss Brooke. "I think I lost mine." She managed to joke, wanting to lighten the mood.

"I'm gonna miss you, Hales. I can't believe that you are kicking me out. Or that you're gonna live with Nathan! He's such a…boy." She laughed as she pushed the rest of the shoes into the box and reached for Haley.

"I love you, Brooke." Haley stated as she pulled Brooke into a hug, feeling a few tears starting to arise.

"I'm the best roommate ever, and don't you forget that!" Brooke replied as she also started to develop tears. Brooke and Haley had lived together for so many years, and the change was definitely going to be hard for the girls.

"We're here!"

Brooke pulled Haley into a tighter hug as she rested her head on her shoulder. "In here!" She yelled, after hearing the boys enter the apartment.

Lucas and Nathan Scott were the two brothers of the group. Everyone had always assumed they would end up being big players for a basketball team in New York, but they hadn't. They were just Lucas and Nathan.

The boys have loved basketball since their early days, which prompted Nathan to decide on sports medicine, mostly physical therapy for the injured basketball players.

Lucas hadn't taken anything directly related to basketball, but he was a journalist for a big New York City newspaper, and covered many sporting events.

Haley and Brooke were a completely different story. They both knew exactly what they wanted to do since their days in high school together. Brooke wanted a career in fashion, while Haley wanted a career in music, and both were pursuing their dreams.

There were two other people in their group, Jake and Peyton. Like Nathan and Haley, the two of them were also together. It wasn't expected, nor was it completely understood, but the relationship was perfect for them.

They weren't married and wouldn't be getting married anytime soon. Nathan and Haley had decided to follow in their footsteps, and hold off on an engagement. Instead, the two were just deciding to live together.

Brooke and Haley hadn't lived without each other for many years now, since they had reunited three years after high school, and both knew it would be hard to live with other people. Haley would be living with Nathan, and since Lucas had a free apartment and was a close friend, Brooke would be moving in with Lucas.

"Are we interrupting?"

Brooke shook her head to Lucas as she slowly pulled herself away from Haley. "I'm ready. The rest of the boxes are in the kitchen."

"I'm on it!" Nathan quickly nodded as he sent Haley a small smile and headed for the kitchen. He loved Brooke, but he couldn't wait to get his stuff into the apartment and live with Haley.

"Come on, Luke, let's get this over with." Brooke said as she stood up and pointed to the last box in front of her with a hopeful smile.

"Thanks, Brooke." He stated sarcastically. "You know, it might not be so bad. And, it's only across the street, I'm sure your shoes can handle a few yards and some stairs."

Brooke rolled her eyes playfully to him, and swatted him on the arm. "Seriously, let's go. This is already hard enough."

-------

Brooke stepped into the living room of her new apartment and fell on the sofa, making a loud noise. Lucas, who had been typing on his laptop, looked up to see a tired Brooke and couldn't help but let out a laugh.

"It's not funny, Lucas! You don't quite understand exactly how much clothes have to be hung up. I think I'm getting finger cramps. You should give me a foot massage."

"No, thanks Brooke, I'm a little busy."

Brooke rolled her eyes as she laid her head back against the sofa arms and propped her feet up. "Haley always gave them to me when I was tired." She pouted in a low voice.

"Come on, Brooke, this will be fine. Didn't you use to live with someone else before you came to New York?" He asked as he continued to type the latest article of hot new events and affairs to be held.

"That was a very, very long time ago. Wasn't it hard for you to have Nathan move out?"

Lucas finally looked up from his laptop as a laugh emerged. "No way, Nathan was ready to leave. I love my brother, but he is not the most fun person to live with."

Brooke nodded and giggled a bit, before closing her eyes as she made herself comfortable on the couch. "Well, at least you have a kick-ass apartment. I bet this is how you get all the girls right? They want a 'tour of the place'?"

Lucas rolled his eyes as he tossed the pillow at Brooke before going back to his article. Brooke had always been the fun one of the group. She was always entertaining, and he would always hang out with her and have a good time. For him, out of the three girls of the group, he would rather live with Brooke.

"By the way, we should work out some sort of system for when I have guys over, because I think you might make them jealous."

Lucas plopped the laptop shut and set it on the coffee table in front of him. "Because I'm so hot right?" He asked in a joking manner.

Living with Brooke would be a breeze. He couldn't think of one thing that could be bad about the situation, except for potential girls.

It would be an understatement to say that Brooke was beautiful, and in New York City, nobody quite believed that two people, of opposite sexes living together, could be "just friends."

"Yeah, Luke. You are just so gorgeous, I think they all might run away scared. Attention all guys, watch out for McSteamy!" Brooke joked as she pulled a pillow to her.

Brooke loved the apartment. She'd been to his house many times, but it was somewhat different to be living there, and having all of his stylish stuff for her, too.

"Mc-what?" He asked, his brows forming into complete confusion.

"McSteamy." She stated, as if she was writing 'duh' on his forehead. He still had no clue. "Grey's Anatomy." Nothing. This could not be happening. "You don't watch Grey's Anatomy?"

Brooke gave a sigh as Lucas shook his head. She was already missing Haley. Haley and Brooke had always shared so many interests. Same music, same television shows, same fashion, and the same clubs.

But Brooke knew that it was just time to build a more solid relationship with her new roommate, and develop new interests with Lucas.

"Well, don't make plans for Thursday night. It's like a _rule_. I can't believe you don't watch it, it's only the hottest show on television."

"And Prada has the hottest clothes, but you don't see me wearing them." Lucas joked back as he turned to Brooke and gave her a smile.

He always enjoyed the banter between himself and Brooke. The gang tended to hang out together in many places, and the playful banter had always been there between them.

"Luke, why are you familiar with Prada?" She asked, before a few giggles emerged. "I'm just kidding. But we are still watching it on Thursday. You will _fall_ in love _so_ quickly."

Brooke rolled over to face him, and sent him her signature dimpled smile. "I'm gonna go finish with the clothes, and then take a little nap. Thank you so much for offering to let me live here, though, I'm really grateful."

"Of course, anything for you, Brooke."

Lucas watched as she reached over the side of the couch to retrieve something, her shirt moving up to reveal part of her perfectly tanned back. She whipped back around, showing her beautiful smile and silky brunette hair. She was definitely the most beautiful girl he had ever lived with.

She quickly stood up and reached across the coffee table, planting a kiss on his cheek before heading back to her bedroom.

Maybe it wasn't so bad for either of them, after all.

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	2. Make This Go On Forever

**She Paints Me Blue**

**Author's Note: **This would be the second chapter of my new fic. I'm truly amazed at the feedback I got from this. I had over thirty reviews for what was actually a very short chapter. The number of reviews and alerts for this was outstanding, and really touching. I'm glad you're all so interested in this, and I hope it doesn't let you down. By the way, reviews are a girl's best friend, so I'd love for you to keep them coming! It's amazing.

So this chapter will do a lot of explaining for anyone who was curious on things. Don't worry, there's still what you're looking for. In fact, one part should largely resemble a scene from 3.18. Maybe you'll notice. I hope you all enjoy this one!

My beta for this is the lovely Ellie, and hopefully that won't ever change. She plays a big part in the finished product, and she can take as long as she needs to beta this.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing of One Tree Hill, or, unfortunately, Brucas.

**Chapter Two: Make This Go On Forever**

Brooke let out an extremely loud sigh as she paced back and forth across the living room. "No, Carly, Compass Cove." She said into her cell phone in a very slow tone, as if she was talking to a little kid. "Yes, it's an oceanfront resort."

Carly was Brooke's closest friend in her work environment. Although Brooke wished she were her own designer, she worked for a fashion company who handled a few design labels. They also ran a local fashion magazine, that did pieces about current hot topics. Her work was another reason that her and Lucas were affording the nice apartment, now that Nathan had moved in with Haley and Nathan's large salary, used to help, rent was gone.

Brooke looked over to see Lucas staring at her, and she shook her head, then followed with an eye roll. "Yes, okay…right… Yes, that will be good. Okay. Thank you… Okay… Bye Carly!" She finished, practically shouting into the phone before flipping it shut and letting out an overdramatic sigh.

"Some people talk _too_ much." She looked across the living room at Lucas, too see him with a wide grin on his face. "What?" She asked innocently.

"_Some_ people?" Lucas asked her, wondering if she had any clue that she talked more than any other person that Lucas knew.

"Yeah, _some _people, like Carly." She gave an innocent shrug as she put her phone back into her purse, just hoping that her dear friend wouldn't call her again. She loved Carly, but sometimes she wondered how that girl had even finished college.

"_Okay_, Brooke." Lucas replied, letting out a very quiet controlled chuckle. He turned back to his laptop, and continued to read over the article.

About two minutes later, he felt Brooke plop next to him on the couch. "Watchya doin'?" She asked in a childish, but interested tone as she stared at him.

"Work." He replied curtly, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"Watchya workin' on?" Brooke continued to ask as she stared him down. A girl couldn't help it if she had the day off of work, and was completely bored out of her mind.

"Stuff."

"What stuff are ya doing?" She asked, a small smile tugging at her lips. She knew that now she was just messing with him, and she loved to see Lucas get worked up. Wrinkles formed on his forehead, his brows grew tensed, and his eyes formed into a squint. It was extremely adorable.

Brooke had grown to learn more about Lucas and his living habits over the past three weeks that they had lived together., and Lucas had also learned about hers.

He learned that often, she would get up sometime in between two and four in the morning for a bowl of ice cream. She was extremely adamant about not doing the dishes _or _the laundry. She spent ninety-percent of her time in the bathroom in the morning; the other ten percent on other daily activities and watching E! True Hollywood Story's. She was usually late going anywhere. She never liked to cook anything, but loved to bake cookies and other deserts often.

She usually used all of the hot water in the shower, but some days he would beat her to it. The apartment was to be silent on Sunday and Thursday for Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives, because she was extremely obsessed with both. She always had clothes lying all over the place, but she looked amazing in every single outfit.

He couldn't lie, so he admitted to himself that he enjoyed Brooke living there, and he loved spending time at home with her.

Brooke learned that Lucas' liked things done on time, because he was so used to having deadlines. He loved to yell at her to hurry in the morning, if she wanted a ride to work. He didn't have time to cook much, but when he did it was wonderful. He would usually sit and watch ESPN for hours on the weekends if he had the time.

Unlike Brooke who was often going out and meeting friends and dates, Lucas stayed home a lot. He would call his mother, Karen, every three days at eight o'clock and talk to her about his life for approximately ten minutes. She also enjoyed living with Lucas. He was almost as good as roommate as Haley, and definitely the most gorgeous guy she had ever lived with.

"There's a crisis at the paper, and we're a little overworked." He quickly looked up at Brooke to give her a genuine smile before turning back to read over the long picture-less article that was on his screen.

"What happened?"

Brooke asked, genuinely interested in what was going on. Brooke had often been fascinated by the stories that he was reporting. They were both equally interested in each other's lives, even if Lucas didn't love hearing about the latest in Gucci and Brooke didn't love hearing about the run defense of some football team.

"Just… some fact-checking problems. There's this guy who's been writing articles for the paper, Steve Plass, and a lot of sources are missing. We just have to get it worked out before the press gets involved."

Brooke nodded as she watched him typing away, and looking through thousands of papers and sites. She could practically see the tension growing in his neck. Brooke Davis to the rescue. She stood up before getting behind him on the couch, sitting with her legs to his sides, and began giving him a neck massage.

"I swear Luke, if you don't chill out, one of these days you are going to have a heart attack."

Lucas nodded, knowing she was probably right, and gave a small chuckle. He leaned his head back a slight bit, wondering why Brooke wasn't a masseuse. Maybe he did need to start cutting back on his work overload, or maybe it was just Brooke's beautifully soft hands that were making him feel better. _Stop it, Luke!_

He quickly snapped out of his thoughts about Brooke and turned back to his work, even though she continued to massage his neck and it was seriously hard to _not_ think about her.

"So what are your plans for the rest of the day?" He asked as she picked up and file and pretended to look through it.

"I'm not quite sure yet. I talked to Peyton though, we might go out tonight. It's been like forever since we hung out with Jake and Peyton, since they're all _married _now." Brooke said, in an overdramatic manner.

Lucas turned around to see Brooke, and let out a sigh as he shook his head, even though she was being very cute. "They're not _married_."

Brooke gave a shrug and threw her arms up into the air. "They might as well be! And hey, then at least I would get to finally design wedding apparel. Is there something wrong with Jake? Is that why they're not married? Because believe me, I've walked in on Peyton changing, and there's nothing wrong with her. It's gotta be Jake."

Lucas rolled his eyes and quickly brought his hands to his ears. Then again, this was one of Brooke's charming qualities that made her so adorable.

She reached for his hands, trying to pry them away from his ears as they both began to laugh. She quickly grabbed a hold of a nearby pillow and swiftly hit Lucas in the head with it.

Lucas reached for her wrists, in an effort to stop her from hitting him with a pillow. She playfully put her tanned legs up to push him away from her, and stuck her feet on him. He made a playful 'grossed out' face, but continued to try to reach for her.

A few seconds later, Brooke's legs fell back onto the couch, and Lucas struggled to keep his weight in the air, as their faces we're only mere inches apart. He could feel her breath on him, and the smell of her strawberry lip gloss. He slowly pulled away from her with a sincere smile on his face.

The two settled back into their positions, as if nothing had happened. It was so natural between Brooke and Lucas, that over the past few weeks it had become seemingly ordinary. And it was.

"You and Jake should come with us. We'll make it fun. We can get dressed up and go to a club. It'll be like a double-" Brooke quickly stopped herself before saying the word date, "Get together." She quickly finished.

Lucas turned his body to Brooke, who was sitting with her legs folded underneath her comfortably next to him, and twirling a strand of her hair into little twists. He wondered what the scent of today was. Like her adventurous, unpredictable personality, Brooke was always changing shampoos.

One day he would see a strawberry scented shampoo sitting on the holder where his shampoo was _supposed_ to be, and the next day it was lavender and lilac. He loved how she was so carefree and open to change. She was constantly moving things around in her bedroom, unlike Lucas who liked to have everything in the same place from day to day.

Lucas quickly snapped himself out of his thoughts, and tried to focus on Brooke who was slowly repeating his name. "Yeah, that sounds good." He mumbled in a rushed tone and turned his attention back to his work.

Brooke gave a satisfied smile, although she couldn't wipe the curiousness out of her mind. "Okay, I'll call Peyton and set it up. Be ready tonight!" Brooke smiled at Lucas and gave him a quick friendly kiss on the cheek before running to grab her phone and head into her room for outfit choosing.

-------

Later that night, Lucas stood in the living room of their apartment, tapping his foot impatiently. So far, they were already fifteen minutes late and they hadn't left yet. Then again, it was Brooke they were dealing with, so he knew that Peyton _expected_ them to be late.

"Brooke!" He yelled, standing next to the counter in between the kitchen and living room, knowing she could very well hear his calls through her bedroom door.

"I'm coming!" She shouted back from inside her room. Honestly, what did he expect? She was a girl. Were they not supposed to try to look nice? It's like they were spending too much time getting ready, or not enough.

"By the time we get there, we're gonna have to leave." Lucas replied as he down at his watch again.

"I'm coming!" Brooke once again shouted as she stepped out of her bedroom door and made her way over to Lucas.

Her usually straight hair, was only half down and was in soft curls. Her jeans or business wear had transformed into a dark green halter top and matching mini skirt that hugged every curve perfectly. She had on silver stilettos and a silver heart necklace and matching bracelet for accent.

Lucas couldn't help but stare at the breathtaking beauty the she owned. She looked gorgeous, not that she usually didn't. Lucas always thought that Brooke was beautiful, even when she would get up on Saturday morning with sweats and smudged makeup.

"You know you look amazing, right?" He asked as he grabbed his keys, and put out his arm for her to take. She sent him a sincere smile before staring down towards the ground blushing a slight bit. "Thanks."

-------

When they arrived at the club, Brooke stepped out of Lucas' car and made her way into the club with him. She tried to look around through all the people that were crowded together, in hopes of finding Peyton and Jake. They said they would be meeting them, and both Brooke and Lucas were pretty late.

"Luke, weren't you supposed to call Karen tonight?" Brooke asked as they walked towards the bar at the back of the club to see if Jake and Peyton were there.

Lucas gave a shrug, thinking that it wasn't a big deal. "It's okay, I can call her tomorrow."

Brooke quickly shook her head and waved it away, while continuing to look for their friends. "No, go call her. I'm sure she would love to hear from you."

They reached the bar where Brooke set down her purse and took out her phone, pretty sure that Lucas would have forgotten his like he often did. "Besides, be thankful you have a parent who wants to know what's going on in your life." She sent him somewhat of a sad smile and handed him her phone, then shooed him away.

Lucas couldn't help but be curious about her words, as he walked away. Brooke was never keen on mentioning her parents, or her family life at all. Once she had let it slip that her parents pretty much abandoned her for California, and she moved in with Haley. She'd also mentioned that her dad had been abusive to her mom when she was young, but that it had gotten better over the years, until eventually her parents had no part in her life.

Lucas wanted to know more. He wanted to offer kind, comforting words, and understand more about her. However, he knew that they were was her stories to share, and she would tell him when she was ready.

Besides, he knew that Brooke wasn't the only one with a shady family history. His and Nathan's family was filled with stories and problems. He was just thankful that the boys were able to become friends at a young age, and handle the problems together.

The biggest problem was their dad; Dan Scott, mayor of Tree Hill. Lucas wondered if their _father_ was still the mayor of the small town in which they had both grown up. Yes, he was their father, but not their dad. Lucas and Nathan had always dreamt of the day when they would finish high school, and get to leave Tree Hill for the big apple.

Dan was always pushing both boys to psychically be better than they could be. He practically pushed them to be inhuman. Especially, to be better at basketball than their bodies could allow them to be. That was probably the reason that both boys had decided not to play basketball professionally, and stopped dreaming of it.

Lucas did have one better thing than Nathan, his mother. Both boys loved their different moms very much, but Nathan had always had more trouble with his than Lucas did. Deb was married to Dan, and was seemingly trapped for the rest of her life.

She had turned to a life of alcohol and pills during Nathan's senior year of high school. He finally got her the help she needed after graduation. He wasn't sure that he could leave her that summer, when they moved to New York, but he knew that he wanted more for his life, and his parents couldn't hold him back from it.

Thus, the boys moved to New York City where they met Haley that fall. From meeting Haley, the also befriended her best friend Peyton. A year later, Nathan brought a new friend to the group, by the name of Jake. All five individuals of the group got along with each other, and spent a lot of friendly time with each other.

Then, three years after high school had ended, Brooke and Haley found each other once again. They had been great friends, but when Brooke moved out from Haley's to live with her high school sweetheart, they lost touch. Then one day in a nearby Starbucks, Brooke had shown up in her wedding dress.

She and Jeremy had planned to get married, until she found out about Bevin and Jeremy being together, and realized that she didn't want a life with him. She didn't want to be married at twenty-one. That was when Haley welcomed her back into their life, and she became a part of their group of life-long friends.

Once Lucas had finished the call with his mother, he retreated back to the club and found Brooke sitting with both Jake and Peyton in a booth. "Hey guys." He greeted as she took the open seat next to Brooke. "What's up?"

Peyton turned her attention to Lucas, a smile already plastered on her face from the conversation that Lucas had broken up. "Oh nothing, Luke." She sent a sweet smile to Brooke and looked back to Lucas.

"Brooke here was just telling us how long it took you to get ready and that's why you guys were so late." Both Jake and Peyton smiled as Peyton cuddled up into Jake who had his arm wrapped around her.

"Oh she did, did she?" Lucas turned to Brooke who was displaying an innocent grin and a simple shrug.

He couldn't help but love how cute she looked with her dimpled smile and 'princess' attitude. Was it so wrong for him to want to be that prince, treating her like the only woman in the world? Okay, maybe it was. 'Friends' weren't allowed to think that way about each other.

"Yes, it was all my fault." He managed to say, trying to keep a straight face, even though he knew that everyone could see right through it.

The fit of giggles ended, and Brooke told them she was going to head to the ladies room, and the other three made their way to the dance floor.

A few minutes later, Lucas saw Brooke return from the restroom, and was standing near the bar with her eyes on the crowd. He mumbled something to Jake and Peyton, who were too busy playing around to really pay attention, made his way over to Brooke, and scrunched in between the people around her. She turned upon seeing him, and smiled to him as she rested her hand on his arm. They both smiled to each other, there faces only inches apart.

"You should come dance with us." Lucas suggested, and Brooke turned to see Jake laughing as Peyton did the robot. She turned back to Lucas and took his arm. "Sure, let's go."

As Lucas followed Brooke to the crowd of dancing people, he couldn't help but smile in admiration and fondness. He loved going out and having fun with her, or even just staying at home and hanging out. Wherever they were, he truly enjoyed spending the time with her.

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	3. I Do It For You

**She Paints Me Blue**

**Author's Note: **Here's the next chapter. I want to thank each and every one of you for your reviews and for you reading this. I honestly mean every single person who has reviewed or read this story. It's great to have the support.

Thanks to my dear Ellie for beta-ing this as always. What would I do without you?

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing of One Tree Hill, or, unfortunately, Brucas.

**Chapter Three: I Do It For You**

Brooke let herself flop onto the leather couch, her body make a loud noise as she came in contact with the material. She stood up and readjusted a pillow, before flopping down again.

Lucas removed the eyeglasses he often wore while writing, and looked away from his laptop to Brooke's direction. Brooke had always thought that glasses made him a little nerdy looking, but it was kind of cute at the same time.

She let out a loud huff as she resituated her body to another direction. "Ugh," she groaned as she yanked out a drawer in the coffee table, and rested her feet on it. Finally, after a lot of disruption, it seemed as though Brooke had stopped.

"Lucas," she whined as she sat back up at looked at a slightly annoyed Lucas Scott. "Can you please trade couches with me? There's a big glare on the TV from over here,"

Lucas let out a small disbelieving chuckle. He knew he should be annoyed. He should be cursing Nathan for moving out and making him live with a girl. He just couldn't. It was impossible to find one thing about her that he didn't like. She even found a way to make her biggest flaws look completely adorable.

"Please, Lucas, General Hospital is on in exactly two and a half minutes," she stated as if it was a big explanation for him.

He simply shrugged as he tried to look back at the article he was working on. Maybe he did need to start spending more time at the office. Usually, they wouldn't have to do the writing in their offices, but it couldn't hurt.

"You don't understand!" she exclaimed, a slight bit irrational. "Jason is going to propose to Sam! And, Dillon's going to tell Georgie about his undying love for Lulu Spencer," she finished, a little overdramatically, but that tended to be Brooke's style.

"Luke, this is like the best soap opera that has ever been on television. It's not some crappy show about people dying five times and coming back, or getting locked up on an island when they were presumably dead. I realize that it's on every day and I make you change seats every day, but this is important!" she squealed, and smiled with satisfaction as he gathered his papers and computer, and began shuffling over to the other couch.

Brooke gave him a playful slap on the butt before she sat onto the seat and propped her feet up. Almost perfect.

After turning on the television, she turned to her focus to Lucas with an innocent grin displaying on her features. Her bottom lip slowly began to fall out on her top. It only took a few seconds for him to look up at her, and firmly shake his head.

"Could you just… get me drink? Please! Diet Coke, with a lemon on the glass,"

He rolled his eyes as he slowly rose to his feet from his position on the couch, knowing full well that he would be getting her a drink. She was just so cute, with her batted eyelashes, her dimpled smile, and her angel impersonation. That he understood. What he didn't understand was why she wasn't at work. He knew that she had a very odd, lenient schedule, but that still didn't explain it.

"Hmm, why do I always do whatever you want me to?" he asked as he walked into the kitchen to fix her a drink.

"Because you love me," she yelled to him, without taking her eyes of the television that they were currently glued to.

He gave a sigh, but couldn't stop the smile that was tugging at his lips. "You have no idea," he mumbled to himself, but placing a lemon slice on her cold glass of Diet Coke and headed back into the living room.

"Here's your drink, Princess," he joked as he handed it to her, eliciting a beautiful smile from the brunette.

"Princess… now that's a name I like. Don't princesses get waited on hand and foot?" she asked him as she displayed an innocent grin. Then again, Brooke Davis was never innocent.

"I don't think so. See, they too have to work for the-" he started, before getting cut off by a groan and a stomp on the carpet coming from none other than Brooke. He looked at her and then to the television, wondering if something broke.

"What? What's happened?" he asked as he stood up cautiously.

"What happened? Elizabeth happened! She came in when Jason was about to purpose. Damn you Elizabeth!" she exclaimed as she stared at the television, her eyes in narrow slits.

Lucas gave a sigh, as he sat back down and took his laptop into his hands. He couldn't help but smile. Brooke was actually very cute when she really got into her shows or magazines. She also tended to get a little crazy. What did he get himself into?

A few minutes when Brooke's soap opera had gone to commercial, she jumped up from her couch and landed onto Lucas'. She rested her head down on his shoulder, leaving half of her body laying on his.

"Umm, Brooke?" he asked.

"Yes?" she replied, disregarding the fact that he was trying to do his work, and she knew she was getting in the way. One thing that Lucas' had learned during the time living with Brooke, was that she had a very small attention span. She loved to have fun, but she got bored quickly.

"I'm trying to…" he trailed off as he pointed to his laptop and the papers in folders that he had sitting on his lap.

"So I think I'm going to go out to a party tomorrow night," she stated as she made herself comfortable by Lucas. "There's a clothing line being released , and they're having a benefit for charity. So I'm pretty sure I'm going," she explained as she sat up to look at him with a hopeful glare in her eyes.

"Do you want to come with?" she asked, thinking that it would be fun to bring her roommate along with her for the party.

Lucas turned away from his work and looked at Brooke, wondering if she was actually serious. The features displayed on her face let him know that she was. Brooke could tell he was thinking it was an absolute "no".

"Come on, Luke!" she demanded as she grabbed a hold of his wrists. "You never go out," she continued, in fact, the last time she remembered him going out was almost two weeks earlier when he had gone out with Peyton, Jake, and herself.

"Yes, I do," he countered, as he stood up and made his way into the kitchen, only to have Brooke follow him.

"You never go on dates! How come?" she asked as she jumped up onto the counter and watched him begin to fix himself a drink. She knew he was avoiding the question.

"You like someone don't you? There's someone you're interested in, isn't there?" she questioned.

Lucas knew that she could be right. He wasn't sure exactly what he was feeling for her, but it was something. He loved every single thing about her. Maybe that was the reason he wasn't going on dates, and was turning down any offers that he was given.

"Brooke, I'm just going to be really busy tonight. I'm sorry I can't go with you," he said, completely avoiding the questions that Brooke was asking him, before he headed back into the living room.

Brooke let out a loud huff as she followed him, knowing full well that he was just running away from her. "Fine, you don't have to come, and you don't have to answer me. But…" she started as she lifted her index finger and pointed it in his face.

"You are hiding something. I won't let it go, and you're going to miss out on a fun party." She gave a shrug before returning to her former position to watch her soap. "Err, you made me miss it!" she whined to Lucas.

He simply shook his head, not bothering to contain the smile emerging on his face. _She was just so cute._

-------

"Carly, I'll be there in a few minutes okay? Traffic's a bitch," she stated before roughly flipping her cell phone closed. She stuffed it into her purse, sprayed a bit of her Ralph Lauren 'Hot' perfume onto her neck, and then ran out of her bedroom.

So she was running a little late, and she wasn't stuck in traffic, but Carly didn't need to know that. Brooke didn't need someone breathing down her neck the whole night either. She could handle getting around on her own.

"Luke, you sure you don't want to come?" she asked one last time as she grabbed her keys and headed into the living room where Lucas was sitting to watch something on ESPN.

"You still have time. It'll be fun," she continued as she slipped on her stilettos and stood up with her hands on her hips.

He shook his head, much to Brooke's disappointment. "Okay then, too bad for you," she stated before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I'll be back later then. I've got my keys, so don't wait up." She gave him a quick wave before rushing out the door.

-------

Brooke forced herself to let out some sort of smile, as the boring woman in front of her cracked a joke. Sometimes she didn't understand how some people could be so incredibly dull, and still be in the fun fashion industry.

Surprisingly, she found herself kind of wishing she were back at her apartment watching a movie or something with Lucas. It felt so much like home.

She remembered the time only a few short weeks ago when the two had stayed up to watch 'The Break-Up'. Lucas had made a comment about Vince Vaughan's character being right, and Brooke had put her bare feet in his face. They had played around like kids for most of the movie.

Brooke Davis had always been a girl for partying. Her mission statement in life was to live to the fullest, and have the most fun possible on the way. But she loved Lucas' company, and she wasn't quite sure that it was a good thing.

"Brooke!" Carly yelled to her friend, now on the third attempt.

"What?" Brooke asked as she snapped out of her thoughts. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said as she turned her full attention to her nice, but somewhat clingy friend. "What were you saying?"

Carly rolled her eyes in a playful way, pretending to be mad, before she noticed the guy once more and remembered what she had been telling Brooke. She pointed to a handsome guy sitting a few yards away at the bar.

"That guy over there," she started as she turned Brooke's side slightly to see the guy. "He's totally been checking you out."

Brooke rolled her eyes, but still focused on the guy curiously. He was cute.

"Look, he's coming over here!" Carly exclaimed as she turned back to Brooke. "Get his number," she demanded before she pushed Brooke forward and quickly exited the scene. Brooke smiled as he neared her with a wide smile on his face. He resembled a young Brad Pitt.

"Hi," Brooke said while displaying her dimpled smile. "I'm Brooke," she continued, laughing a slight bit at the situation as she saw Carly watching them out of the corner of her eye.

"I'm Nickolas," he said as he extended his hand to her.

A few minutes later, Carly had her wish come true. Brooke exchanged numbers with Nickolas, and the two had set up plans for a casual dinner date.

-------

_That would be chapter three. I totally, totally hate to give anything away for future chapters, but think about the fact that Brooke's home phone number is Lucas' phone number, and picture a certain Friend's scene in which Ross answered the call from Rachel's date, then jealousy ensued. Hmmmm. That's all I'm going to say. Please review with your honest thoughts!_


	4. The Color of My Love

**She Paints Me Blue**

**Author's Note: **Do you really want to hear my whole spiel about the review thanks? That's okay if you do… see previous AN's! Thank you all dearly! It means a lot. I'd love for it to continue.

So, I did use a few more things from Friends. They were cute and I felt that they tied in well with this fic. One thing, I did use a quote at the end(reworded) so thank the lovely writers of Friends for that!

Thank you wonderful Ellie! You are in no way at fault for anything. Stop feeling bad.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing of One Tree Hill, thankfully! And sadly, nothing of Friends.

**Chapter Four: The Color Of My Love**

Lucas gave a sigh as he took another bite from the bowl of Cocoa Puffs that was sitting in front of him. "_It's okay,_" Lucas thought to himself as he lowered himself onto a stool. "_It was silly. It was a silly crush. You're not in love with Brooke._"

He knew he couldn't be in love with her. He knew he shouldn't feel anything for her. She was his roommate. They were friends. It would be wrong.

"_Exactly. She's your friend, Brooke. Your friend…Brooke,_" he thought as he finished of the bowl of cereal and smiled to himself a little bit with satisfaction. Everything would be okay.

He looked up after hearing her door open, and saw Brooke quickly walking through the apartment to grab her keys and purse.

"Bye Sweetie," she called while quickly waving and headed out the door.

"_It's your girlfriend, Brooke!"_

Lucas groaned loudly as he pounded his head onto his fist in front of him.

-------

Lucas stepped into the apartment and closed the door behind him, then set down his keys and the box of pizza that he had brought home. Extra cheese, just how Brooke liked it.

"Brooke," he called out as he took a look around the apartment. He didn't expect her to be home. On the days that he would spend his whole day at the office, he would still be home before Brooke. She was so dedicated to her work, and that was another thing that Lucas loved about her.

He grabbed the television remote and turned it onto ESPN. He and Brooke had fallen into a comfortable routine while living together, but they also had fun. They equally enjoyed each other's company.

Some days he knew it was completely horrible that he was thinking about Brooke. Those were the days that he reminded himself that they were just friends, and that's all that they would ever be. Those were the days that he knew it was just a little crush and he would accept that.

Other days, he didn't think it was horrible. He wondered if he really did like her and if she would feel the same. He knew that they would be great together.

Then they're were the days where he wanted to completely erase everything in his brain, and just go back to how they were before Brooke had moved in. Even if it would break his heart.

Lucas was distracted by his thoughts as the phone began ringing beside him.

"Hello?" he asked after picking up the receiver. Seconds later, another man, very unfamiliar to Lucas, answered and asked for Brooke.

"She's not here right now. Can I take a message?" he asked as he reached for a Post-It that had been laying by the phone.

"Okay, Nickolas. I'll tell her that you called," he replied as he began writing down the man's name, and then heard his explanation. Brooke had met Nickolas at a party. He was calling her about a date.

Now Lucas knew that he should really just let it go. The worst part about it was that he jealous and he knew it.

A little while later he saw Brooke enter the apartment. "Hey Brooke," he said with a smile on his face as she made her way over to him. "I picked up some pizza after work."

He reached for the box at the counter and pushed it into Brooke's direction. "That's my favorite kind!" she squealed before giving a few claps and grabbing a piece. "You remembered!"

He nodded with a small chuckle before pulling out two Pepsi's for them. "Uhh, Brooke," he started as he reached for the folded paper inside his pocket that was carrying her message. He gave an inaudible sigh before stuffing it back in. "Let me get you a plate," he quickly stated before turning to grab a plate.

"I know you tend to get messy," he explained in a joking tone as he handed it to her.

"Lucas Eugene Scott, that's so unfair! I'm not messy. That pizza thing was _one time_, and it was totally your fault!" she replied as she playfully snatched the paper plate from Lucas' hand and slapped her piece onto it.

"How was that my fault?" he countered. It was perfectly normal for Brooke and Lucas to act like this towards each other. It was fun and comfortable. It was so _right_.

"Luke, you practically _fell_ into me," she said as she formed an innocent smile on her face. One of the many faces of Brooke Davis.

"I practically _fell_ into you? Brooke, I was a good five feet away from you! You were ranting on and on about some designer or something and you dropped it onto your shirt. I think it's perfectly clear that it was in no way my fault."

She simply raised her hand and waved it away, her dimples showing as she smiled.

"How was your day?" he asked her as they dug into the pizza and began talking about each other's days. It was a Thursday. As always, they would talk about how their day was, what their plans were for the upcoming Friday, they'd play around for a little bit, and then they'd watch Grey's Anatomy.

-------

The next night, Lucas arrived home a little late. He usually took a little while longer on Friday's so he could wrap up the week's work, and take home everything he needed to do on the weekends. Some people might call it boring, but he was quite satisfied with his life.

He came into the apartment to see Brooke already home. "Hey," he called as he set down his bag that carried his papers and laptop.

Brooke stepped out of the bathroom and greeted him. She was wearing a long, dressy halter top, with jeans and high heels. Brooke had always been one for looking nice. Lucas knew that. She dressed nice every day for work, like he assumed most people in the fashion industry did. However, at this moment he could tell that she was dressing for something different.

She was dressed like she had been on the nights that they had gone out, or the previous week when she had gone to the benefit. She also had on a larger than normal amount of jewelry.

"Hot date?" he asked in a joking tone as he neared her.

Unbeknownst to Lucas, he had been correct. She nodded her head before running a comb through the ends of her wavy hair. She quickly turned around, her back facing him.

"Can you put this on me?" she asked as she handed a necklace to him. He took the gold jewelry into his hand and reached it around her neck. She lifted her hair up to her head, and he softly clipped it together, as his hands grazed her shoulders briefly.

"Thanks," she said appreciatively as she dropped her hair and turned to face him.

"So what's up?" he asked her as she touched up a few spots of makeup.

He would never tell her this, but he knew that she didn't need to put that stuff on. She was so beautiful without it. She would get out of the shower on a Saturday morning, and wear no makeup, nothing but sweats, and have her hair up, and she looked fascinating.

"I met this guy Nickolas last week at that party, and he called and asked me out for drinks tonight. He got my cell number from a friend at work. He mentioned something about a message?" she stated confusingly, but quickly continued on much to Lucas pleasure.

"But I needed to get back to work. Anyways, he should be here in a minute."

Lucas gave a nod, somewhat disappointedly. However, he knew he should feel guilty about not giving Brooke her phone message.

"Okay, have fun Princess."

Both were interrupted from their conversation as someone knocked on the door to the apartment. "That's probably him," Brooke stated as she set down her makeup and turned to Lucas. "I'll just be another minute or two. Can you get it? Keep him entertained?" she asked as her face grew into the classic puppy dog look.

"Fine," he mumbled as he managed the best smile possible. "The things I do for you," he said as he sent her another smile and he made his way to the door.

The second he opened the door, he didn't like what he saw. The classic pretty boy. A perfect guy that could break Brooke's heart. "Hey," he said in the loudest tone he could manage.

The other man took a look around. "Does Brooke Davis live here?" he asked worriedly, wondering if her had gotten the wrong apartment.

"Yeah, she's inside. I'm her roommate. I'm Lucas," he continued as he extended his hand.

The other man grasped his lightly and shook it. "I'm Nickolas," the other man said. Lucas took a step back and motioned for Nickolas to enter. "She'll just be another minute," Lucas explained as he made his way over to the counter and propped his elbow onto it.

A few seconds passed in awkward silence. Deciding to break the silence, and learn a few things about the guy who would soon be taking Brooke out, he sparked up a conversation.

"So how did you guys meet?" Lucas asked, even though he already knew the answer. Nickolas went on to explain the previous event and the meeting between Brooke and Nickolas. They had met at the event that Lucas had opted out of going to.

"Are you in the _fashion_ business?" Lucas asked in a tone that was slightly disrespecting. Lucas couldn't help but wonder… maybe he was gay? That would have made it a lot easier for Lucas.

Nickolas explained how he worked for the company that was releasing the clothing line that night.

"Are you and Brooke related or something?" Nickolas asked Lucas curiously. Lucas shook his head, not at all pleased.

"We're friends. Have been for a long time," Lucas explained and took a step further, somewhat intimidating. "A very long time. We're _very_ close," he continued as he folded his arms across his chest.

"I'd really _hate_ to see _anything_ happen to her," Lucas continued, knowing full well that he was now somewhat threatening the man.

As if on cue, Brooke made her way into the living room, and quickly grabbed her handbag. "Ready to go?" Nickolas asked, tearing his gaze away from Lucas.

"Yeah, let's go. See ya, Luke," she said, sending Lucas a small wave.

-------

"What's on your mind, Luke?" Peyton asked as she looked up from the book she was reading. Lucas, Peyton, Nathan, and Haley were all at Nathan and Haley's apartment.

Lucas and Peyton were both in the living room. Nathan and Haley were both in the kitchen discussing something and, in the words of Peyton, acting all lovey-dovey. Jake was working overtime, and Brooke was still out on her date.

"It's nothing," he stated, not bothering to look up from his brooding.

"It's Brooke," she answered herself as she sent a perfected smile to Lucas.

"How did you…?" he trailed off, now looking up at Peyton.

"You think you're the first guy to want Brooke? I've seen guys act this way about her before, you know," she explained as she closed her book and sat up to face Lucas.

"It's just…," Lucas stopped, wondering if he should say anything to Peyton about it. Deciding for it, he continued, "I've been feeling something lately. I don't know, I could just be confused. But sometimes I'll just be sitting with her doing absolutely nothing important at all, and I just get this feeling," he explained and brought his hands up to his head.

Peyton smiled as she stood up and smiled down at Lucas, and over to Haley who was now listening. She had always loved the thought of Brooke and Lucas together.

"He's her lobster!"

Lucas looked up to Peyton, completely confused. He also stood up, sending a confused look to Haley. She shrugged, not attempting to understand what Peyton was saying.

"You know…lobsters," Peyton said as she smiled back and forth between the three, Nathan now involved in the conversation.

"Uhh Peyt, what about lobsters?" he asked, completely confused.

"Come on…lobsters! Lobsters fall in love and mate for life. You can see the old couples in their little tanks holding claws. _You're_ her lobster!"

-------

_Umm.. thoughts? Review? Thanks._


	5. She Is Everything I Want

**She Paints Me Blue**

**Author's Note: **Yes, it's been awhile. I'm truly sorry. I really am. You've heard it before.. Read my previous author's note. This is chapter five, I really hope you enjoy it! I've been building ideas for weeks now. Please, please review. It's simple and easy.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing of One Tree Hill. And sadly, nothing of Friends.

**Chapter Five: She Is Everything I Want**

"_So, like, you guys all have jobs?" Brooke asked as she looked around the room at everyone dumbfounded. _

_She was used to being spoiled in her life, she assumed that most people had been the same. In fact, until she'd left Jeremy and made her way into the group, she didn't realize people actually had jobs. _She_ never did._

_Haley looked around the room at the other three, before turning back to Brooke and nodding her head._

"_Well, I should be going," Jake said as he planted a kiss on Peyton's forehead and exited the apartment._

"_Me too," Lucas piped in as he realized he was already late, and then was soon followed by Peyton._

"_So how are you?" Haley asked Brooke as she sat down across from her at the table. _

_She knew it was hard for Brooke. Brooke was pulled from a comfortable environment and placed in a completely new one. She had had so many plans for her and her fiancé, and now she just didn't. Even though Haley hadn't seen Brooke for the last three years, their connection was still there. Their friendship was still there._

"_I'm good. Actually, I'm great. I'm totally over that sleaze-head and that blond bimbo," Brooke said with a slight hint of bitterness, before managing a smile._

"_Good. You don't need them!" Haley exclaimed as she pulled Brooke into a side hug._

_Brooke sent Haley a smile before she stood up grabbed her purse. "Wish me luck," she said cheerfully as she put on her shoes._

"_What for?" Haley asked as she watched Brooke scramble around to get her things._

"_I'm gonna get one of those…" she started as she looked around thinking of what to say, "job things," she finished with a smile before blowing Haley a kiss and heading out of the apartment._

_-------_

Lucas watched Brooke as she collected her keys, purse, shoes and lip gloss. She was on her way to work. Lucas had never realized how far Brooke had come, since she'd first moved in with Haley, until he sat back and took a good look. She was independent and successful, and those were two things he really loved about her.

Once again, he was sitting alone thinking about Brooke Davis. She'd done that too him a lot lately. He hated to be thinking about her. They were friends. She was dating someone else.

Nickolas… another person Lucas hated to be thinking about. Lucas had hated him from the start. Nickolas wasn't good enough for Brooke, and Lucas knew that. If only Brooke knew could see it too.

"Have you…" Brooke started to ask as she dropped to the floor and stuck her nose under the loveseat as far as she could. She quickly jumped back up and fixed her hair. "Have you seen my shoes?" she asked him as she looked under the table.

"They're not in my room _or_ my closet!" she exclaimed frantically a she continued to run around looking in places. She knew she was going to be late.

"I think they're by the magazine rack," he replied after finishing a bite of his bagel.

Brooke quickly turned to look by the magazine rack. "No, those aren't them," she said sadly before stepping into the bathroom and looking around.

"The ones behind the door?" he asked loudly as he stared down at the bagel in front of him. This was actually something normal for him. Brooke had so many pairs of shoes, it usually took her twenty minutes to find the desired pair.

"No, the strappy ones!" she called back and came out from the bathroom.

"Oh, the grey ones?" he asked as he pointed to an area by the television. She looked over to them, and shook her head once more. She dropped onto a barstool next to Lucas and gave a sigh.

"The black ones," she stated. He was pretty sure she had a few pairs of strappy, black shoes, but Brooke Davis was very picky about her shoes.

Once, Brooke had made him watch Sex and the City with her. The whole time while he watched a blonde girl go on and on about her shoe closet, his thoughts were that Carrie Bradshaw had _nothing_ on Brooke Davis.

"Try by my bathroom in the hallway," he stated, turning to her and giving her a shrug. She stood up and dragged herself to the other hallway where his bathroom was, and saw the shoes laying on the floor.

"Ah hah!" she yelled as she swiftly picked the up and hurried to put them on.

"Wait, why were my shoes by your bathroom?" she asked him as she put them onto her feet.

"Remember last Tuesday? You thought that there was something wrong with your sink and you had to use mine?" he asked her, trying to spark recognition. It amazed him how easily things slipped Brooke's mind.

"Oh yeah. By the way, did you check that out? I swear there was something wrong with the water levels," she told him as she lifted her cashmere sweater and put it on.

"Yeah, it was fine," he said, containing a slight bit of laughter. Worrying was another cute thing on Brooke.

"Hmm, I could've sworn there was something," Brooke said. She gave a quick shrug and grabbed her purse. "Well, I better get going. Oh, I'm going out with Nickolas after work, so I'll be home late," Brooke said as she gave Lucas a smile. She sent him a quick wave before heading out of the apartment.

Lucas gave a sigh as he collected his briefcase… deciding he would work in the office today.

-------

"_Brooke, it's Lucas. Something's happened in the apartment. You might want to get over here."_

Lucas sighed as he nodded along to whatever the man in front of him was telling him. He was starting to get a little confused, and usually Lucas knew a lot about maintenance. "Uh huh. I see," Lucas said as he faked understanding and nodded his head along.

It sounded pretty simple. Something had clogged in the pipes and then built up inside. This caused the water to drain a lot slower, and a small pipe in the sink to eventually burst. That's why Brooke's bathroom floor was filled with water, and why the man in front of Lucas was talking to him.

Workers went up to the apartment and were fixing the sink, that had left a trail of dirty water halfway into the hallway and living room. The floors had been soaked as the water continued to overfill and file out, before the pipe had eventually burst.

"They are repairing what they can now. As for the water leakage, they're working on containing it now. Don't use anything in that bathroom for the time being," the man continued.

"Luke!"

Lucas spun around to see Brooke rushing towards him, a very confused look, to say the least, plastered on her face. He bit his lip slowly as he pointed his index finger towards the apartment. She followed his vision, and then eventually saw the guys walking around in her bathroom.

"What happened? You hung up so fast! We ran out of the restaurant in the middle of dinner," she said as she tried to contain the worried look on her face.

"After paying the check of course. I mean, we didn't literally just run out right then. We waited for the cheque and then got in his car and drove. But it was fast! We had to be going over the speed limit," she continued to ramble on before giving a sigh as Lucas just stood in front of her wordless.

"Sorry, I ramble. What happened?" she asked.

"There was a… umm," he started as he turned his focus into the apartment near the bathroom. How should he put this? "There was a _slight_ water leak," he said quietly, completely avoiding her gaze.

Brooke looked at him sternly and stepped forward into the apartment itself. She looked around at all the damage and turned back to Lucas, remaining cool, calm, and collective.

"A _slight _water leak? One so slight that I can't step into what looks like my flooded bathroom?!" she said, her voice raising with every word. Lucas turned his attention to the small painting on the wall that was now beyond fascinating.

"Lucas!" she yelled, getting his attention back on here.

"Okay, well maybe it was a little more than slight," he suggested as he brought up his arms and folded them across his chest.

"What do you mean 'more than slight'?" she asked, this time in a very demanding tone.

Lucas gave a sigh as he dropped his arms, deciding she might as well hear the bad news. "A pipe in your sink busted when I was running water out of it," he said and decided to quickly continue. Why he was in her bathroom was a totally different story.

"Apparently it's been building up for awhile. Something clogged it and that's why it was draining so slow." he told her, trailing off into a very quiet voice on the last part. Here it came.

"What? So what happened to 'It's fine'? It doesn't look fine," she told him as she made her way closer to the sight. "Good thing you're not a plumber," she told him as she turned back to him.

"Brooke, I'm not a plumber! It looked fine to me! I couldn't actually see down your pipes, you know. Besides, it's your sink," he countered, a smile forming on his face as he once again folded his arms in front of him.

"Yeah, but you, Mr. Big Shot, said you would check it out and that it was fine. Guess not, huh?" she said as she tried to get closer.

"Lucas Scott?" someone asked as they approached Lucas. He gave a nod as he looked towards another guy, one he hadn't spoken to yet. The man lifted his arm into the air, his plastic glove holding a round, pink cap.

He explained that this item was what contributed to the backed up water, before leaving to go back to the sink.

He handed the cap to Brooke, his face asking for the explanation instead of his mouth. Brooke gave a guilty smile as she took it from it.

"I think that's to my hair spray," she muttered.

-------

Lucas placed his hands on the curve of his shoulder as he lightly massaged the kinks, and then walked around in front of her.

Brooke smiled to him and placed a hand over her chest. "I didn't know it was you, you scared me," she informed him.

"What's going on?" he asked her, as he watched Brooke continue to stare at the guys.

"They're finishing up… I think," she told him as she rested her back against the wall and turned towards him. At least it was a Friday night. Still, she was tired to say the least, and Lucas could tell.

"Brooke, it's late, you should get some sleep," he told her, as he looked down the hallway to her room. "You can have my room, I'll sleep on the couch."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, grabbing his shoulder and lightly pulling him with her. "It's fine. I'll sleep on the couch. Let's watch a movie. That guy should be done soon anyway," she told him as she walked over to the DVD case and picked out a movie for them.

She put the movie in, deciding to leave it a surprise for Lucas, and settled herself onto the couch. She patted the spot next to her, and pulled the blanket on over her. He settled down next to her, and watched as she put on the movie.

"How was your date?" he asked her with sincerity. Although he had concern with the guy she was dating, he still wanted her to be happy and he was making sure that that was happening.

He noticed as Brooke exhaled deeply, maybe a little more than usual, and gave a shrug. "It was okay," she said, in the plainest way possible to end the conversation. She was right, the date was okay, but it wasn't anything special.

The two began watching the movie, which was one that Lucas had never heard of. It was a movie of Brooke's. He wasn't quite sure what it was about, because the two fell asleep towards the middle.

He woke up, early in the morning, as the sun shined through the curtains onto his head. He stirred a slight bit, before noticed the petite body laying on him. Her head was rested on the area between his shoulder and chest, and her body was laid next to his.

He smiled down at her as he watched her chest slowly rise and fall, and watched the small breaths emerge from her parted lips as she peacefully slept. Her hair was strewn out over his shoulder, her face, and the couch. He lightly parted it from her face, and covered the fallen blanket over her body. He wondered if he had ever seen someone look so beautiful.

-------


	6. The Look of Love

**She Paints Me Blue**

**Author's Note: **Yeah, so this one took my quite awhile. I'm sorry. But, I've been working hard on my new BL fic called Beautiful Disaster. Check it out. Anyways, here's the next chapter. Once again, a few Friends things in it that were changed a little. I'm trying not to take things exactly from Friends, but this fic is also based on ideas from Friends, so there will always be things from it. Transcripts by Twiz TV.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing of One Tree Hill. And sadly, nothing of Friends.

**Chapter Six: The Look of Love**

"Oh. My. God," Brooke yelled as she stepped into Nathan and Haley's apartment. The happy couple, along with Jake, Peyton, and Lucas looked up to her with questioning faces.

"What? You broke a heel?" Lucas said playfully, knowing how much her shoes meant to her. He gave Brooke a wink as she looked at him, clearly not amused.

"No. I did not _break a heel_," Brooke said informatively while rolling her eyes. She let out a heavy sigh and threw her purse onto the table roughly. She let out a dramatic groan as she sat down on the chair. "Errrr," Brooke yelled angrily as she rotated hitting her hands on the table.

Quickly, Haley made her way over to the table and carefully took hold of Brooke's hands. "Hey, now I'm sure whatever it is you're upset about is bad, but do we need to take it out on table?" Haley asked seriously.

Brooke let out a sigh and mumbled "sorry." Slowly, she brought up her arms, rested her elbows on the table, and let her head fall into her hands. The rest of the gang made their way over to her, and Brooke finally stood up. "I was fired," she muttered angrily.

"What?!" Peyton exclaimed, as she hurriedly sat down next to Brooke and took her best friend's hands into her own. Haley quickly followed, Jake and Nathan both offered sympathy in their 'I'm sorry' and Lucas rubbed her back in soft circles to comfort her.

"Yeah, I guess something happened with the company and they were laying people off," Brooke continued to explain as she let out another deep sigh. "Can you believe that? They wanted to lay off me! They said it would be a month or two," she further explained. She looked around the room at her five best friends, before taking one of the finger sandwiches off of the platter and stuffing it into her mouth.

"So I quit," she told them matter-of-factly.

Brooke leaned back against her chair, nearly squishing Lucas' hand in the meantime, and folded her arms across her chest. "So, shall we get this poker game on the road?" Brooke asked, pretending as though nothing happened.

"You… quit?" Haley asked her, and received a nod from Brooke.

"I sure did," Brooke told them, with a smile plastered on her face. "I'll start looking for a new job tomorrow, I guess," she continued. The group watched as she carelessly went to the refrigerator and pulled out a beer. She made her way back over to the table and grabbed her cards.

"Come on, guys, round three. I plan on beating Lucas this time," Brooke said, and winked at the girls.

-------

Ten minutes later, they were all into the poker game. It had started less than a week back when the three girls found out that the boys played poker weekly, and the girls weren't invited. Since then, the girls decided to show them that they could win.

Lucas came out of the bathroom, ready for another match. So far, Peyton had won two games in the last week, and Haley had won one. Brooke still hadn't won a game.

"Your money's mine Davis," Lucas yelled playfully as he made his way to the table.

"Your fly's open, Scott," Brooke retorted and let out a few giggles. Lucas reached down and zipped his pants and then sat down at the table across from the girls.

"So how's the new boy, Brooke?" Nathan asked, more curious for Lucas' sake than his own. Yes, he'd seen Brooke as a sister for the past few years, and vowed to always protect her like with Peyton, but Lucas was his actual brother and he knew that Lucas had feelings for his roommate.

"What new boy?" Brooke asked, pretending as though she didn't know what they were talking about. "Hah, full house!" Brooke exclaimed as she set her cards down, but Nathan went on to beat her.

"Come on, Brooke, we all know," Haley told her. Brooke still pretended to be clueless. "You've been on, what… five dates now?" Haley asked, a smirk playing on her face. Brooke rolled her eyes at Haley's immaturity, and took the cards that Peyton had dealt her.

"Not _five _dates. Three. We haven't been on one since I ran out on him due to the certain sink issue two weeks ago," she informed them.

"I don't know, something is missing. _It_ is just not there," Brooke explained. The girls both gave a nod in understanding, as the guys just looked at each other in confusion. Lucas looked down to his cards, and tried to contain the smile that was dying to form on his face. Yes, he wanted Brooke to be happy, but he wanted Brooke to be happy… with him. Not with _Nickolas._

The group all took their cards, ready for the next round. "Haley?" Peyton asked.

"I hate this game!" Haley exclaimed as she threw her cards on the table. Nathan chuckled a bit before rubbing his hand on Haley's arm.

"Nathan, your bet," Peyton told him as they continued going around the circle.

"Ahhh, I fold like a cheap hooker who got hit in the stomach by a fat guy with sores on his face," Nathan explained carelessly, and everyone looked at him in confusion. "Oh, I'm out," he deadpanned.

"Lucas?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm in," Lucas replied

"Couldn't be more out," Jake said as it became his turn. Peyton locked her arm with his as she set her cards down, also folding.

"Brooke?" Peyton continued.

"I'm _so _in," Brooke said cheerfully. "I see your fifty cents," Brooke said as she looked to Lucas. "And I raise you… five dollars," she said, and threw her chips into the pot.

"I thought it was a fifty cent limit?" Lucas asked her.

"Well, I just lost a job, and I'd like to raise the bet five bucks. Does anybody have a problem with that?" Brooke asked, daring them to question her. Everyone, except Lucas, shook their heads and backed away.

"Loser?" Brooke asked him, staring directly into her roommate's eyes.

"I'm in," Lucas replied and threw in his chips. He asked for one card and took it from Brooke. "I bet two dollars," he told her, after being asked what he wanted to bet.

"Okay... see your two... and I raise you twenty," Brooke told him, challenging him with her eyes.

"I see your twenty, raise you twenty-five," Lucas continued on, clearly not giving up. Nathan, Haley, Jake, and Peyton all stared at the two competitors, amazed at the large pot.

"See your twenty-five...and...uh, Haley, get my purse," she demanded.

"Brooke, there's nothing in it," Haley explained quietly, not wanting to upset Brooke. Brooke rolled her eyes and told Haley to get her own purse. Haley took out a few bills, handed it to her, and wished her good luck.

"I saw your twenty-five, and I raise you…seven," Brooke told Lucas. Peyton threw in a ten dollar bill of her own, and raised it to seventeen. Lucas looks back at the two guys standing behind him, and they offer fifteen dollars, plus Lucas' two, to make seventeen.

"Okay, I am calling your seventeen. What have you got?" Lucas asked her. He watched as Brooke smiled, a hopeful look on her face, and laid down her full house. Lucas stared into her eyes, and looked back down to his cards. "You win," he informed her, and laid down his cards face down.

Lucas stood up, and looked at Jake and Nathan disappointedly. "Man, I thought we had them," Nathan sad sadly.

"Well, when you don't have the cards, you don't have the cards," Lucas said, and shrugged carelessly. He looked over at Brooke, who was jumping up and down excitedly at all the money she gained, and he smiled.

"But look how happy she is," Lucas said, a look of adoration playing on his face.

Ten minutes later, as the gang sat around eating and cleaning up, Peyton approached him.

"Wow, what a game," she said, a grin on her face.

"Sure was. I was so close," Lucas told her as she sat down next to him. She gave a nod, looked around to see if anyone was listening, and leaned closer to him.

"I saw your cards Luke," she told him informatively. "You beat her," Peyton continued as she looked at Lucas, who was clearly caught. "It's okay, I won't tell. It was really sweet actually."

-------

"Hey, what are you doing home so early? What happened to your date?" Brooke asked as she hit pause on the movie she was watching. Lucas had just came home. It was Saturday night, two days after the poker game, and he had returned home much earlier than expected.

"Oh uh, it didn't work out," he told her. Of course it was a lie. However, he wasn't going to say he cut out of the date early because he couldn't stop thinking about her. To tell the truth, it was starting to scare Lucas how much he wanted to be with her.

"Oh. Do you want to watch the rest of the movie with me?" she asked, a hopeful look on her face. The movie really scared her.

"Yeah, of course," Lucas told her and made his way into the living room. He sat on the opposite couch of her.

"What are you doing over there? Come sit here, you have to protect me," she told him, ignoring how childish she was being.

Lucas gave a nod as he cautiously made his way over to Brooke and sat down next to her. He gave her an encouraging smile as she pushed play on the movie.

"Okay, that's him! That's him. That's Cujo!" Brooke exclaimed, clearly afraid.

"It's okay, Brooke," he assured her.

"Oh my God….What's he gonna do now? I can't watch!" Brooke yelled. She grabbed Lucas' shirt and pulled him closer to her. She cowered into his chest as she rested her head on it, breathing into him. She smiled as she felt Lucas wrap his arms around her and she held onto him tighter.

"Seriously, how can you watch this? Aren't you scared?" Brooke asked softly.

He looked down at Brooke, and let out a smile. As he held her close to him, it became clear to him now… he was in love with her.

"Terrified."


	7. It's Not Over AN

**Dear my lovely readers,**

This is all I will be saying for a little while.. so read this..

So here's the deal. I'm sorry. Okay. Sorry. That's all I can say. Believe it or not, I'm trying. And believe it or not, people have taken longer than I have to update. However, the incessant messages demanding that I update are really starting to get to me. I ignored them and decided to do one big author's note. I don't plan on answering anymore either. Reviews... are great. Two PMs a day telling me that I need to update, that's not great. This is the end of the year. If you've ever been in high school, you know that means finals. Believe it or not, finals are more important than a chapter update. I know this fic is important too. It's very important to me. That's why I'm trying to be classy here in saying this, but it's a little hard when people are being rude to me. Chapters take time. I have to write out the plans, write the chapter, go over the chapter, and then have the chapter beta'd by Ellie. We are both very busy and have busy lives.

I committed to writing this fic, and I plan on following through, but it wont come before my real life things I have to deal with. And my life has been behind hectic lately. So I'm trying, I really am, but it takes time. And Ellie and I both have limited time to work on it. There are many things I do other than this, so I like to divide my time out to do everything. I'm really sorry for taking so long to update, I really am. I know it can be annoying. But you have to understand I'm trying to the best I can. Writing is a hobby to me, and many things are more important. That's the simple fact. I respect myself as a writer, and I hope others do to. In respecting myself, that means making my fics the absolute best they can be, not rushing to get something updated. I hope you'd all agree.

So I'm sorry. I hope to have an update in the near future. I hope everyone will understand, and stop sending me rude personal messages.

_- Cass_


	8. Hanging By A Moment

**She Paints Me Blue**

**Author's Note: **I hope you guys like this chapter. This one was more of my ideas, rather than Friends stuff, although one particular part may be sort of like an episode from Friends, but different too. Lol. I really want to know what you guys think about this one, because it wasn't easy for me to write it. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll say I love it but at the same time I hate it. I didn't want it to be unrealistic or lame, I wanted it to be true and believable. Most of this fic has been Lucas' thoughts and feelings about Brooke, but I really wanted to get into Brooke's head in this chapter and show HONEST, REAL thoughts that she was having. I hope it doesn't disappoint anyone.

And I am extremely sorry that it's taken so long, and that it will again take awhile for a new chapter. I have no excuse, I'm sorry. A mixture of life, time, and writers block all made it pretty much impossible for me to write. Thanks to everyone who is still reading and supporting this.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing of One Tree Hill. And sadly, nothing of Friends.

**Chapter Seven: Hanging By A Moment**

"Ohmigod!" Brooke yelled while staring at her television, hunching over to look closer, and inching forward on the couch. "Just kiss her!" she yelled again, not even noticing that Lucas had walked in the door to their apartment.

"Kiss who?" he asked, completely unfazed by her shouts and demands at an inanimate object. This is who Brooke was. If there was anything that Lucas had learned about Brooke since moving in with her, it was that she loved her television shows.

"Pam!" she yelled to Lucas as she took a quick glance at him before turning back to her television. She crossed her legs under her and inched forward more on the couch.

"Pam who?" he asked, going along with it as usual, as he took of his coat and set his keys and briefcase on the kitchen counter. He took a glance over at the stove, noticing grilled cheese on a plate and tomato soup in a pan. Lucas lightly slapped his forehead as he realized he hadn't told Brooke he would be home late. She'd made dinner for him.

"Pam and Jim," Brooke said dully as the commercial began and she made her way over to Lucas. He shrugged his shoulders and lightly shook his head. "The Office." She stated, and for once he nodded, knowing the show in which she was talking about.

"They both work at this office and were like so best friends. But Jim was totally in love with Pam. And then when she didn't return the feelings he transferred to another office. And now he's back with his new stupid girlfriend Carrie or something and he just needs to hook up with Pam," Brooke explained to him as she sat down at the counter and began absentmindedly looking through his briefcase. Even though she had no idea what any of the journalism stuff was, she liked to pretend to be interested. And snoop, of course.

"Isn't that just adorable? Best friends in love and totally wanting each other. Totally cute right?" she asked as she continued shuffling through his things. Lucas, who was now looking through the fridge for a drink, stopped and looked up to Brooke. He coughed and groaned to clear his throat and gave a nervous smile to Brooke.

"Umm yeah," he said quietly, and watched admirably as she began scanning over an edited story he had typed up. "It is," he told her, trying not to think about the similarities in her 'cute' television couple and the feelings that he had for Brooke.

"Hey, it's almost nine, Grey's is on soon," he told her as he started to make his way toward the living room. Brooke looked up to him, giggling slightly, and he stopped immediately in his tracks. "I mean, that one Grey's Anatomy show comes on soon, right?" he asked.

Brooke laughed lightly and made her way into the living room, returning back to her spot on the couch. She patted the seat next to her, and he comfortably sat down next to her. "Yeah, 'Greys' is on soon," she said, using air quotes and smiled to him. "Oh I've taught you well," she stated happily as she pat his leg.

"Oh, by the way, before the show comes back on, I need to ask you a question," she told him, receiving a nod from him. "Now when I ask you this, think of all the joy you have in your life because of me and how wonderful I am."

Lucas laughed slightly as he looked up to the ceiling. "Oh really? Joy?" he asked, laughing as he did so.

Brooke hit him in the shoulder, while laughing herself. "Yes, Joy!" she yelled, lightly hitting him again. "Anyways, so there's this thing tomorrow night that Carly just informed me of today. I didn't know I was going to this one. And well, it's sort of a formal thing, and I… need a date," she told him hopefully as she bit her lip slightly.

Lucas looked away as she said the word 'date' and coughed slightly. Looking back to her, he asked, "What kind of formal thing is it?" he asked cautiously.

"Well, there's this dinner, in which I need you to be my date, and then I guess this…fashion show thing. Oh and the after party of course," Brooke explained to him softly, avoiding his gaze.

Lucas rolled his eyes and sighed out loud, but to be quite honest, he thought he actually might enjoy it. After all, being Brooke's date definitely wasn't a bad thing. "You don't want Nickolas to come?" he asked, honestly hoping that she would say she absolutely didn't want Nickolas to come.

"Nickolas? Come on Luke, you know I don't want him to come. I guess I'm over that, it was going nowhere. Pretty please… just think of all the models you'll see!" she exclaimed, grabbing his hands, wrapping them in hers, and pulling them to her lap.

Lucas look down at her soft hands that were holding his, a slight smile emerging on his face, and looked back up to Brooke. "Of course I will," he told her.

-------

Brooke's face grew wider and wider as she smiled to the woman across from her in a very, very fake manner. "That's great," Brooke said in a high-pitched tone, and stood still as the woman standing across from her clapped her hands and gave Brooke a girlish peck on the cheek. "I'll call you to set it up. I'm so excited," the woman stated over-excitedly before walking away.

Brooke rolled her eyes as she turned back to Lucas and immediately threw her hand up into the air. "No way. I'm not going to anything with that little witch. I hate her," Brooke exclaimed and grabbed Lucas hand to pull him in a different direction.

When they reached a place completely away from the select group of people that Brooke was obviously avoiding all night long, she pulled him into a tight hug. "I think we can get out of here soon. It's really just a show up and talk to a few important people, have a few drinks, and then take off with someone. I just need to go tell Carly that I'm leaving and I'll talk to her about her drama tomorrow," Brooke said with a small chuckle, before placing her hand lightly on Lucas' arm and smiling up to him.

"Thanks for coming Luke," Brooke stated in a quieter tone and sincerely smiled up to him. Lucas looked down, looking into her eyes, and returned the smile. "It meant a lot to me."

Lucas nodded as he continued smiling softly at the girl in front of him. "Of course, Brooke," he started as he remained smiling to her. "I'd do anything for you," he informed her, in a very quiet, sincere tone and continued to look into her eyes.

He knew he was going to do it. They stood looking into each others eyes for a solid minute and then Lucas decided he was going to go for it. He cupped her face gently before leaning in closer to her and planting a kiss on her lips, something he had wanted to do for quite awhile.

Brooke was shocked by his actions, he could tell. Did she not feel the same way… or was she just surprised? Lucas didn't know, but he didn't let that stop him. This was the perfect opportunity for him to finally tell her how he felt. He pulled her body closer to him as she gave in and the kiss grew more passionate.

A few seconds later, Brooke broke away from the kiss completely breathless as he tried to read the look on her face. She was surprised. Possibly even confused… he wasn't sure. He could honestly say that was one of the very few times that he didn't have an idea of what Brooke was thinking.

"I…" Brooke started, searching for words to speak, really anything to say. "I… gotta go," she said, and took one glance up at his eyes before quickly running out of the party, leaving Lucas behind. He turned around and watched as she ran away, hurt to say the least, before making his way over to the bar.

-------

Brooke tapped her foot impatiently on the cement underneath her, before knocking loudly on the door a few more times. Finally, after two minutes of waiting outside of the apartment, Peyton opened the door and Brooke immediately let herself in.

"I need to talk to you," Brooke said softly as her voice cracked and Peyton pulled her into a hug.

"What happened?" Peyton asked as they made their way to the living room couches and sat down.

"I'm sorry I'm here so late. It's just… I really need girl talk right now and Haley's celebrating her stupid anniversary with Nathan… even though they aren't even married but whatever," Brooke rambled on, clearing avoiding the subject that she was so upset by.

"Sweetie it's fine, what's wrong?" Peyton asked her in a concerned tone.

"It's Lucas. I don't know what to do. He was my date tonight for that fashion thing and we were at the after party talking about leaving and then all of a sudden he kissed me. And I didn't know why… so I pretty much ran out of there and took a cab to downtown Manhattan. I was seriously walking around in SoHo for twenty minutes before I came here," Brooke rambled once again, before taking a deep breath and calming down.

"I mean… I can't believe he kissed me," Brooke said as she ran her hands through her hair and tried to sort things out in her mind.

"Well Brooke, come on," Peyton said as though Brooke obviously knew about Lucas' feelings. Brooke looked up to her with a questioning glare, not sure what she meant by the statement. "He's in love with you Brooke. He has been for awhile. You have to know that," Peyton told her, before coming to the realization that Brooke didn't know.

"He's in love with me?" Brooke asked softly and watched Peyton nod.

"Yeah, but the question is, Brooke, how do you feel about him?" Peyton asked as she rubbed Brooke's back lightly in an attempt to make her feel better.

"I don't know, I never really thought about him in that way before. I mean, he's a great guy. He's so sweet, he always takes care of me and does great things for me. We get along so well and I'm so… comfortable with him. And I have to admit he's pretty damn hot, and a really good kisser," Brooke told Peyton, as she stared down at the floor, clearly confused by the situation.

Peyton smiled as she took Brooke's hand to get her attention. "Brooke," she said with a wide smile on her face, as she pictured in her mind what it would be like for Brooke and Lucas to get together. "I think you have your answer right there. You should go for it, I mean what do you have to lose?"

-------

Five… six… seven… and suddenly Brooke stopped. She was pacing back and forth in the hallway outside the door of the apartment she shared with Lucas. She had passed the door seven times already, and she still didn't want to go inside. What would she say to him? Should she knock on his door, or just walk in? What if he was asleep… should she wake him up or just wait until the morning? After all, it was getting pretty late. She knew she shouldn't have went back to the store first. She smacked her head lightly, cursing herself as she did so.

It was pointless, what self respecting woman buys a guy flowers? She thought to herself. She knew Lucas well, he wouldn't want flowers. She had been halfway back home before she realized how stupid she looked carrying flowers for the guy back at her apartment, and threw them to the ground.

To be honest, she was buying time and she knew that. She was nervous and afraid of what he would say to her. Maybe she had blown the whole thing way out of proportion. Maybe he didn't want to be with her at all. Maybe Peyton was just making it up to get a good laugh. And then she realized… she would be disappointed. If Lucas didn't want her, Brooke would be sad and disappointed, and that meant something.

She was taking Peyton's advice. Really, what did she have to lose? If Lucas didn't feel that way about her, if she didn't feel that way about him, or if they weren't going to be good together, well then at least they tried. She knew things would probably never be the same between her and Lucas, especially if things ended badly, but wasn't that a risk she had to take, because maybe, just maybe, Lucas was the one she was meant to be with. She once again cursed herself for being so blind. How had she not known that Lucas had feelings for her? Looking back on it all now, Brooke felt like a complete idiot.

She only wished she had came to the realization earlier. She'd never thought about him in that way before, but standing outside of their shared apartment, she wished she had. He was an amazing guy, one that she could honestly see herself being with for the rest of her life. They already lived together, new each other in and out, and she knew that they would be perfect for each other. Maybe she hadn't thought about any of that before, but she was thinking about it now and it sounded… perfect.

Brooke jammed her key into the lock to the apartment door as she realized she was getting ahead of herself. She would take everything as it came. She would storm into Lucas' room, him asleep or not, and demand to know whether he really did have feelings for her, or if he just randomly decided to kiss her. And when he hopefully said that he was in fact in love with her, she would kiss him and tell him that they should try. Maybe she had been too blind to fall in love with him yet, but she knew that would happen. He was already one of her best friends, and a perfect guy for her, so she was ready to risk their friendship and take that chance.

As she reached his bedroom door in the dark and silent apartment, she stopped and let out a deep breath. Okay, so maybe storming in and making him grouchy wasn't the best thing during a girl's confession. After the way she had ran out on him a couple hours earlier, she knew she should be nice and give him a break. Slowly, almost shaking, something that Brooke had never done before, she raised her arm up and knocked a few times on the door. She stepped back a foot and folded her arms across her chest, waiting for him to answer.

She smiled as he opened the door and leaned against the frame. He was in nothing but his boxers, his hair disheveled, and his eyes lazy from just being asleep. He looked adorable. She heard him whisper something that sounded like a hello and her name, and mumbled the same thing back.

"Look, I'm sorry about before. I know I ran out on you, and that was rude of me. I… I was just surprised, that's all. And then I was a little confused. I didn't know if you had feelings for me or what, so I just… ran. But then I talked to Peyton and she told me some stuff and realized that… well you're pretty perfect Lucas. Any girl would be lucky to have you… I would be lucky to have you. I guess what I'm trying to say," Brooke rambled, as she tried to calm herself down and think of the right words to say, before she completely embarrassed herself.

"I want to… well… I mean… do you have feelings for me?" she asked nervously, deciding to make sure that Peyton was right before she admitted that they should be together. Just in case.

Everything was silent for a moment. He was standing up, leaned against the door frame but still towering over her, and she was standing out of his room, nervous and fidgety while staring straight into his eyes the entire time. She watched as a small smile graced his face, and she could tell that he knew exactly what she meant. She returned the smile, deciding maybe she didn't need to wait for his answer, she could just kiss him… when she heard the rustle coming from inside his bedroom. She stepped to the left slightly, to see past his body.

And there she was… the tall redhead she had seen walking on the stage in designer clothes only hours earlier. She was sitting up in his bed, also looking half asleep, and Brooke could see that the girl was wearing nothing. She turned back to Lucas, sadness in her eyes, and notice the same coming from his.

Her jaw dropped just slightly and she ran her tongue across her bottom teeth, closing her eyes for just a moment to keep from building tears right in front of him. She stayed silent, only nodding, before she turned around and made her way down the hallway to her own bedroom, the tears forming as she did so. She could hear the distant calls from Lucas, who was following her, that were telling her to wait, but they were only met by the slam of her bedroom door and the single sob she let out.


End file.
